Multimedia Professor Premieres New Composition

November 6, 2009

The newest full-length work by Bruno Louchouarn, Occidental College assistant professor in the theory and practice of multimedia, will be performed by acclaimed pianist Vicki Ray and the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet tonight as part of the 2009 "Arts & Ideas" Festival in Pasadena.

Louchouarn's composition, titled Alcances ("Reaches" in Spanish),

explores the festival's theme of "Origins" and is presented as acomplement to an exhibition titled "Tools" now in the Art CenterCollege of Design's Williamson Gallery.

The 40-minute work is the first work of art specially commissioned bythe Pasadena Arts Council for the biennial festival. It explores musicas a creative extension of the mind in constant evolution, employingmusical tools from simple every day objects such as bowls to complexinstruments including the marimba and piano.

Louchouarn is one of a group of talented composers on the Occidentalfaculty. Original compositions by Louchouarn, assistant professor ofmusic Andre Myers, and adjunct assistant professor of music JenniferLogan were debuted at the Oct. 24 inauguration ceremony of Occidental'snew president, Jonathan Veitch, who commissioned the pieces for theoccasion.

Louchouarn was born in France and raised in Mexico City, where hedirected a Latin American music ensemble. He studied artificialintelligence in Paris and earned a Ph.D. in composition at UCLA. He hasextensive film, theater, and commercial credits, including thefuturistic cantina music in Total Recall and the score for CharlesRandolph Wright's new play, The Night Is a Child, staged this fall atthe Pasadena Playhouse.

Alcances will be performed tonight, Friday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in theArt Center College of Design's Ahmanson Auditorium, 1700 Lida St.,Pasadena. The performance is free and open to the public.